Transmission-bearing and universal-joint cap



e. E. RUCKSTELL. TRANSMISSION BEARING AND UNIVERSAL JOINT CAP-APPLICATIDN FILED JULY 19. 192( PatentedOct. '4, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l WITNESS ATTORNEYS G *E. RUCKSTELL. I TRANSMISSIONBEARING AND UNIVERSAL JOINT CAP. APPLICATION FILED .IULY 19, 1920.

1,392,452. Patented 00, 4, 1921.

2 HEET$-SHEET 2- ffg 5.

WITNESS I INVENTOR 7 (5:3. EackJTeZL.

I ATTORNEYS- UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE.

GLOVER EDWIN BUCKSTELL, or SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, Assumes, To HALLscor'r moron can comrnmz, INCORPORATED, or SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA,

A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA,

TRANSMISSION-BEARING AND UNIVERSAL-JOINT CA P.

' Application filed m 19,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 'I, Gnovrm EDWIN RUoKs'rELL, a citizen of the UnitedStates,

I and a resident of the city and county of San Francisco and State ofCalifornia, have invented a new and useful Transmlsslon- Bearing andUniversal-Joint C ap, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates 'to transmission mechanisms and particularly toan improved bearing and universaljointcap for motor vehicle transmissionmechanisms. i

In a certain popular typeof motor vehicle known as theFord, power istransmitted from the power planto'f'the vehicle through means of atransmission mechanism including' a drive plate having a tubularcentral.

stem "forming a socket to receive a male portion of a universaljoint,"beyond which joint the power is transmitted by a propeller shaft;to'the drive axle ofthevehicle. In the present construction oithis typeofjvehicle, the socketportion of the drive plate lis journaledin a'bearingdevice'in the form of a concave-convex plate'having aflangethatis secured to the contiguous end of the transmission case;The' 'dire'ct bearing or t j ourn aling of the drive plate socketisformed by thin interior lining at the smallend of the 'concavo-convexplate in the cavity of which the. universal joint structure is covered.This thin lining bearing obviously is of comparatively short life andis renewed with difliculty by the dismantling ofcthe transmittingmechanisms and the removal of the universal joint'cap V It is one of theobjects of the present invention to improve thisbearingstructure so Iusual formof Ford universal joint cap and as to greatly increase I thelongevity and utility of the operating coiirdinate elements or. sleevein the universal joint cap and to replace the .same by an anti-frictionor ballbearing devicewith the obvious reduction of friction andlincrement in the. life of the It is a further object of the invention toprovide either for the utilizationof theu'sual Ford universal'joint. capand bearing de- Qvice by: the slight alteration. of the same or toenable the replacement of the usualballbearing cap by another that. willbe supported 1111 11 u ual manner on the con- Speciflcatlon of LettersPatent.

that will provide for an improved bearing.

It 1s 'a further object of the present invention to utilize at least aportion of the usual Ford universal joint'cap in the construction ofa'bearing structure and to secure to such portion means for holding a sutable form of anti-friction or ball bearing olnt, and, in thisconnection it is a further ob ect of the invention to providefor thereconstruction 'of the usual 'jFord universal oint cap in a manner thatis at once simple, practicable, inexpensive and that will not requireany alteration' of thecasing'jst'lucture. j a Y a a f- Theinventionpossesses other objects and features of advantage, some ofwhich, with the foregoing,'will be 'made manifest int'he followingdescription of the preferred form of theinventi'on which 'is'illustrated in the drawings accompanying and iorming'part of thespecification. It is to be understood drawings and description asvariations may be adopted within'th'e scope? of the invention as setforth in the claims. V Referring to the drawings":

that it is not intendedto limit the invention to the embodiment shown"by, the "said Figure *1 is an 'endelevation of the improved capand'be'aring device.

Fig. 2 is a diametrical section of thesame on line, 2+2 of Fig.1.

*Fig. 3 is a longi dinal sectionand partial elevation showing'anassembly of the improved bearingstructure with the associated parts. 7 l7 Fig. 4 is an end elevation and w Fig. 5"is a diametrical section of}the bearing sleeve. I V

, Fig. 6 shows an integralcap.

"The present invention pertains to an improvement of thatgtype ofuniversal joint.

cap andbearing sleeve whiclrisillustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 and whichcomprises a substantially"concavo-convexfl, or cup shaped jmember. oneend of which is PIOVldQClWltll a circumferential flange applicable-tothe Iusu al casing of the, transmission, mechanism of a Ford motorvehicle; ;the'cavity of the cup. shaped member forming a receptacle forthe contiguous universal joint connectingithe propeller shaft" of thevehicle 7 i are drivi g are??? as plate having a central axiallyextending sleeve or socket forming portion to receive a complementarystem of the universal joint. Thesocket portion of the dive plate isjournaled in a sleeve-like hub formed on the universal joint cap member andwhich sleeve is commonly provided with a thin interior bearing orbushing which is rapidly worn flange 3 designed to be secured to theadjacent flangedend of the usual transmission casing C, Fig. 3, in suchposition that the smaller sleeve-like end 4 of the shell 2 projects intothe transmission casing to receive the contiguous cylindrical end. of asocket part 5 forming a portion of a drive plate 6; this being anelement of the usual transmitting mechanism of Ford motors. To take theWear of the running joint socket 5, the sleeve 4 is .provided with athin-lining or bushing 7, which, obviously, is rapidly worn to anunserviceable condition.

vA feature of the PIGSBIItzlHVGHtlOIl resides in the reconstruction of]the. shell 2 or universal joint cap by removing the smaller end ofthecup shaped portion together with the sleeve 4 thereofiand bysubstituting for the removed portion ofjthe shell a substantiallycylindrical ring or band preferably abutted against the smaller end-ofthe shell desig nated 10 in Fig. 2. The usual cup shaped shell 2 ofthecap is severed in a transverse plane with relation to;the axis ofthecap at such a distance from the face flange 3 as will provide for theattachment of the cylindrical band ll'that has aninternal. 7 diametersufiicient to receive a suitabletype of anti-friction or ball-bearingcomprising an outer race or ring. 12 and an inner race 13 interposedbetween which is a set of balls 14. The cap shell 10 of Fig. 2 havingits smaller end cut away to form a conical surface 15 converginginwardly and against the outer angle or corner of wh ch surface there isabutted the sleeve orband 11 which may be attached to the shell-10 inanysuitable manner preferably by welding the abutting edge surfaces ofthe shell 10 and the band 11 together. The inner diameter of the band 11is shown as, somewhat larger than the inner diameter of the conical edge15 of the shell 10 so that there is an inwardly projecting i corner orshoulder 1 6 which may be. utilized to provide a. stop or abutmentagainst which the inwardly forced outer race or ing 12 of theball-bearing may be jammed.

The abutted edge of the band 11is shown as provided with oppositelybeveled faces .mounted forminginternal and external annular channelsthat may be filled with a suitable welding material indicated at 18.outer encl'edge of the band 11 'is' preferably provided with a slightoutwardly projecting annular head or flange-like portion 19 that isadapted to be spun or pressed inwardly to overlap the adjacent corner ofthe race ring '12,so' that the latter is securely retained in its properpositionin the inner surface of the band without the use of extraneousfastening means. It will'be understood'that when the usual cap 2 of Fig.5 is reconstructed to provide for the mounting of an internalball-bearing,

the sleeve or band portion 11 may be secured structed this operation canbe performedat a, comparatively smallexpense and'the usual capconvertedinto aibearing member having an anti-friction bearing for the reception.of the driving element from the transmission--mechanism.' 7

-T he' im roved ca is shown in Fim'3 as secured to the usualtransmission casing C so'that the ball-bearing'extends intofthecasingwhile the shell-like, portionglO covers the contiguous universal joint Jwhich need not be. specificallydescribed other thanto state that ithasanextending male'portion or stemiQOofnon-circular crosssection to beheld in non-rotative' position-in the socket 5 formed in the stem of.the :drive plate '6. This drive plate is shown as-providedwith anexterior sleeve21 on;;which is securely the-inner race; ring ,13jof theball bearing. 4

i What is claimedisy 1. The universalyjointt 7 ing supportrof ,amotoryehicle, said cap cap and bearhaving its usual smaller end .removedan d a sleeve applied in' its steachand a ballbean ing retainedin thesleeve to take the con.

' tiguous end of. a: drive element-of;the trans-- n1ission;ztl1e*caphaving at its larger end means'to secure it to the usual casing;

its usual: smaller end removed and a sleeve applied in its stead. and aball-bearing supsmaller endremoved and a sleevefapplied in its. stead,anda ball-bearing retained in the 3. The universal 'oint cap and easingend I 2. The universal joint cap. and bearing .120 support of a motorvehicle, saidcap having of a motorlvehicle, said cap having its usualsleeve to take the contiguous end of a drive element of thetransmission, said sleeve butt- Welded to the cap.

4. The universal joint cap of a motor vehicle, said cap having its usualsmaller end removed and a sleeve applied in its stead, and a ballbearing retained in the sleeve to take the contiguous end of a driveelement of the transmission, said sleeve and cap forming an internalshoulder against Which one end of the ball bearing is abutted. V 5. Theuniversal joint cap and casing end of a motor vehicle, said cap havingits usual smaller end removed and a sleeve applied in and casing end itsstead, and a ball bearing retained in the sleeve to take the contiguousend of a drive element of the transmission, one end of the sleeve Workedin over the contiguous end of the ball-bearing to secure it in place.

6. A universal joint cap and bearing part for a vehicle transmissioncasing, said cap having a sleeve at one end at the inner end of which isa shoulder; the outer end to retain an inserted ball-bearing race-ring.In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

GLOVER EDWIN RUGKSTELL.

of the sleeve adapted to be pressed inwardly

